Coronavirus: Remote stewardship advice service launched

Natural England (NE) has launched a remote advisory service for anyone in England applying to the Countryside Stewardship Mid-Tier scheme.

The scheme application window closes on 31 July and NE is providing the service to help farmers, land managers and consultants apply during the Covid-19 lockdown.

Applicants can arrange a clinic session of up to 90 minutes with a dedicated regional contact (see “Mid-Tier Scheme Regional Advice Contact List”).

See also: Countryside stewardship: What to consider before applying

A spokeswoman said the session would ideally be held online, using a video conferencing tool like Zoom, but farms without online access can also take part in a session over the phone.

She explained that phone calls could be more difficult because it would be harder to share field data and records without some visual access.

It is important to be prepared for a session with an application pack to hand and ideas on what options are suitable for the holding, she added.

Book a session

Select the relevant regional contact from the list and use the email or phone number to book a clinic session